New app connects bar hoppers, bars

BARTRENDr app helps drinkers share favorite cocktails and settings — but only with other drinkers.

A new app lets users tell others what type of drinks, people and atmosphere are at the bar. (Photo: Volt Collection/Shutterstock)

I spent some time checking out the social networking app BARTRENDr over the weekend. It bills itself as a “private social network for people that go out.” It’s the app to use if you want to connect with only your drinking friends. You don’t connect with your mom, your boss, or anyone else you don’t want to know how often you go to the bar and how much you drink when you’re there.

BARTRENDr connects you to the people and the atmosphere you want tonight. Easily find and connect with your friends, share what you're drinking and tell everyone how awesome your night is. Even see what's happening in the bars around you before stepping inside!

The app is free to download. Users create an account and give the app permission to use location. Without that permission the app would be basically useless; it wouldn’t be able to point anyone where to “go out.”

There are three ways to use the app. The first is to connect with your buddies. You can use your contacts or your Facebook page to find friends who are already using the app. You can also invite people to join and connect to you. Once you’re connected with others, you can see where they’ve been, what they have to say about specific bars and booze, and even see what bar they're currently bellied-up to.

The second way to use the app is to comment on the bar where you are currently bellied-up. You can “share vibe,” letting others know what type of people, crowd, and mood there is. You can let people know what you’re drinking. And, of course, you can take pictures of it all and share them.

Finally, you can find bars in close proximity. You can check out what others say about the bar, even if you’re not connected to those people.

BARTRENDr is a fine app. It does what it says it’s going to do. It’s all about the bars – who is there, what they’re drinking, and how happening the place is.

I’m not sure I’m the right demographic for this app, though. I think it’s definitely for someone younger, or perhaps someone who goes out to a wider variety of places than I do. I’m set in my ways. I know my local bars and which ones I’m going to go to. My mother isn't on any form of social media, and even if she was, I don't care if she knows I'm at a bar. The app may come in handy if I’m in an unfamiliar location, though, so I can see where it would benefit me while I’m traveling.

The app may be free, but the creators of the app need to make money somehow. Biz Journals reports that bars and beverage brands have access to the data collected from the app's users. Currently, 200,000 people use the app, and that number is expected to go up to 500,00 by next month. BARTRENDr sells its information for marketing purposes.